#and well anora spam in general

[bitter-black-beans]

I didn’t realize how much of a Alistair x Anora lover I was until now.

Like, I knew I liked this pairing since the first time I matchmaked them in DA:O, but I didn’t realize just how much I loved this pairing until I went through the Anora tag haha.

[no-zaku-boy]

DA:O Appreciation Week - Day 1

I love this kind of thing but don’t really want to put these questions/prompts on my woefully neglected writing blog, so haaaave some Dragon Age babbling~ (And as a reminder, my inbox is literally always open for DA talk, so feel free to spam me with your meta or tell me about your OCs or anything; I will eat it up.)

Questions of the Day:

How many wardens do you have?  Are they all from different origins, or do you like to do the same origin with different OC’s? I only have two well-developed wardens atm: my canon warden, Lalia Tabris, and my Lyna Mahariel (I’m still debating the name because I really love Lyna but also think I should pick something more original meeeeh, but that’s literally the only thing about her I’m still waffling over). I also have a few from other origins bouncing around in my head, mainly a couple Aeducans and a Cousland. I haven’t done much with them because I’ve been so focused on writing and re-writing my established girls’ campaigns, but I will get to the others eventually.

More under the cut~

Who is your Favorite Squad Member in Origins? Extremely obvious if you take one glance at my little space here on tumblr dot com. I adore every single companion from Origins, they will all always be my favourites, but Zevran has stolen my heart in a way no fictional character has in a long, long time, and there is no sign that I’ll get it back any time soon.

Who is your Favorite NPC in Origins? (ex: Wade, Anora, Bhelen, etc.) Shianni is probably the NPC I spend the most time thinking about, and I truly want her to be happy. Other fave NPCs are Bodahn, Anora, and Wade and Herren. And Isabela, of course~

Prompts of the Day:  

Your Warden and their weapon/weapons of choice.  What sort of strategy do they use in battle?  What are their favorite types of weapons? Lalia is a duel-wielder who goes for nasty little daggers covered in poisons. She fights fast and dirty. She’s not a good tactician to begin with, what with most of her experience being street brawls and alley scuffles, but she has a keen eye on the battlefield, can be where she needs to be at just the right moment, and is rarely taken by surprise, and within a few months, she’s learned enough to craft effective assaults, though she tends to rely on stealth and surprise whenever possible. She benefits from Zevran’s assassin techniques and Isabela’s duelist training but never can quite shake that scrappy, take-whatever-shot-you-can style even with frequent drilling.

Lyna is skilled with a number of weapons. While she opts for the bow when hunting and is a keen shot, in battle she prefers to be right in the mix and takes quickly to greatswords, though she also appreciates a good war axe and can maneuver decently with a shield if necessary. Having grown up with a clan that operated as one be it on the hunt or in defense against attacks, she at first expects everyone in her party to react to one another smoothly and is frustrated by their disparate fighting styles to the point that she enforces group training and finds that she’s a natural leader, if not a particularly clever one. At the end of the day, if she can’t outsmart an enemy (which isn’t uncommon), she can sure as hell chop it to pieces and ensure her companions cooperate with one another while in a fight.

Write about, Draw, or make a tribute to your Favorite Squad Member in Origins. It took me a long time to realize that I liked Zevran not only because he’s right up my alley both romance and general characterization-wise (charming, flirty rogue type with much more to them than you’d guess at first glance? sign me up immediately), but also because I had a lot in common with him emotionally at the time of my first playthrough, and seeing his growth throughout my game helped me in a very personal way. It’s nothing I care to talk about much right now, but in short, there was something very therapeutic in helping a suicidally depressed character come back from such a low place, and that, in part, has endeared him to me in a way I really, really didn’t expect at first. In fact, I thought I’d dislike him after watching his initial scene with Loghain, and I’ve never been happier to be wrong about a first impression. He’s an incredibly well-written character with a lot of depth, and it physically pains me when people write him off as nothing more than a spicy Latin lover trope or, worse, some sort of creep/predatory pervert (people who think this lack a fundamental grasp of his character and should go back, play again, and actually pay attention). It’s an absolute shame that Bioware has more or less shunned one of their very best characters at every turn, and I hold hope in my tiny fangirl heart that we will see best elf boyfriend’s glorious return eventually.

Write about, Draw, or make a tribute to your Favorite NPC in Origins. I wish I were in the mood to actually write a drabble or something for Shianni, but I’m just not, so have more babbling. She’s such a great character, imo. She’s defiant and stands up for herself and others despite being kind of a mess. Even after the horrific events of the city elf origin, she remains outspoken and demands justice, and I’m so grateful to all of the creators in fandom who have explored her story in ways that the game simply couldn’t since she was meant to be a more minor character. I thoroughly reject the epilogue slide that states that she’s murdered, especially when compared to Soris’ possible Bann ending where he pretty much gives up and abandons the Alienage and goes off to live with his new wife. Like, what the actual fuck? Shianni deserves better than that, and I headcanon that despite rubbing a lot of shems the wrong way, she’s an effective leader and comes to have a very good relationship with King Alistair and/or Queen Anora (especially in Lalia’s run since she pretty much ensures before she leaves Denerim that Shianni and Alistair are on good terms and is constantly checking in with Alistair from Vigil’s Keep to make sure the Alienage is being taken care of like he promised) and that while she’s Bann, the Alienage prospers in unprecedented ways.

[annemayfair]

Ye I'm trying to do the same thing, no worries friend! But the problem is it's one thing for Anora to trust her War Hero Dad in a time of War, it's another thing for her to roll over for said dad 'just because he's her dad and thats what a good daughter should do'. I agree that all fanart is good and valid and ur drawing is great btw, but without any commentary you're throwing an OOC Anora caricature into an 'Anora fan party'. People who follow the tags are there for in depth discussion (cont.)

(cont.) and in-character art/ect, or harmless joking and positive stuff I guess. Like, a tag is a big gathering of people who love whatever that tag is. Your OC’s opinions on that thing are definitely well thought out, but that tag isn’t here to look at what your OC thinks about the thing, they are here for that thing and the reality around that thing. And especially for Anora, the tag is ALWAYS clogged with stuff none of us were looking for when we went there. (cont. (apologies))

(cont. 3) It’s like going to a fruit stand, because you want a piece of fruit, but having to wade through sculptures of unrelated people holding fruit or books where someone once said they don’t like fruit and you’re just ‘I only wanted an apple!’ Anyway, again thanks for being so polite and your OCs really do look super neat, have a good day! (sorry for the ask spam)

No worries, this is not even that much of a spam :D

I see what you mean, but then again, it all comes to my current tagging system and to the way I post things. I chose not to include a lenghty essay explaining events prior to the dialogue depicted in that drawing, and not actually expressing most of my thoughts and feelings underneath it.

Because I didn’t feel it was necessary for an art post at that exact time. And I still don’t think that every single thing I draw requires an explanation. I’ve posted interactions between my player characters and various other characters from Dragon Age, and there never were a single issue. I admit that I never expected that Anora’s tag was exclusively an “Anora fan party”. If I knew her tag is so small, outlined and privatized, I would’ve abstained from doing so. (This may stem from my understanding of tags which seems to be very different from yours, but ehh…. :C ) 

Right now (since this year I’m determined to draw more of my characters and Dragon Age in general) I will continue posting and tagging my various drawings as I see fit. Because putting things into tags means that people will see my creations, and some people might like it.

 You, however, are very welcome to block me/my posts. I mean it in the most positive way possible! (Or at least, trying to).

If anyone is uncomfortable with the content I am producing or with the way I present that content, block me. I could not be offended by being blocked by other people. I would perceive it simply as their preferred way of filtering information and media they are consuming.

I would be here for any further discussions. Find me if you want :) 

Have a nice Friday!